Google reviews

4.4

87% would recommend to a friend

(48,390 total reviews)
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Sundar Pichai

82% approve of CEO

81% positive business outlook

Google has an employee rating of 4.4 out of 5 stars, based on 48,390 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an excellent working experience there. The Google employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Informationstechnologie industry (3.9 stars).

Reviews by job title

48K reviews
3.0
Jun 7, 2014
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Perks are great and salaries are competitive. You get to work with very talented people and learn a lot. It rarely gets boring. Working hours are very flexible. Its still a engineering driven company, so great place for engineers.

Cons

Long working hours are a norm, work/life balance is not encouraged. Career growth at higher levels is hard if you are not in US. The performance review process is very complicated and almost a game that you need to learn to play. Its not just about what you did, and how important it was, but there are 20 other dimensions by which the work is evaluated which no one understands in the end. They claim its fair, but compared to other companies I have seen its not.

5.0
Nov 24, 2013
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Had to add my own thoughts after seeing so many concerns about work-life balance at Google. I joined Google about a year ago after many years in mid-tier management consulting. For me, it's been a refreshing return to work-life balance. No, that doesn't mean I work 35 hr weeks. I'm often at Google before 7am and sometimes stay past 7pm. I work hard because I want to be the best in my profession, because I believe I should earn all those perks Google is famous for, and because my team, who want to be the best in their professions, are relying on me. That said, I've never worked into the wee hours of the morning. Every Saturday and Sunday you'll find me outside running or biking, not in the office. I have a wonderful marriage, get 8 hrs sleep every night and am fortunate to be leaving a happy life. In contrast, my consulting career was full of 70 hr workweeks, travel away from my family, unbelievable levels of stress and piles of politics. Maybe Google is also like this at the VP and SVP level, I'm not sure. But I'm about half way up the so-called corporate ladder and, at least from my perspective, things are refreshingly balanced and authentic. Again, I'm only 1 year in so take my thoughts with a pinch of salt. The other myth I'd like to debunk (actually, it appears to already be long-before debunked) is that only ivy-grads can get into Google. From what I've heard, this was more true 10 years ago. But, I attended a small undergrad school you've probably never heard of and haven't been back to school since. I think what Google is looking for is the same as any company: people with honest passion for their trade, who don't mind putting in some elbow grease to keep the company growing.

Cons

Let's be honest: Google spoils it's employees. We're all fortunate to work here. The thing I worry about most is whether I'm making a real difference. Google has such a legacy, and such infinite resources, that it can be a little overwhelming trying to figure out if you're taking full advantage of the opportunity. For example, I'm guessing that the job posting that started my career here had maybe 100 other applicants. That's 100 people who could have done a better job if I feel like "taking it easy" today. I worry about doing well enough here to continue he legacy built before me.

2.0
Aug 10, 2013

Data Center

Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

- Entertainment! Yes, there is a workout room, pool tables, ping pong tables, Foosball tables, Xbox 360's, Playstation 3s, Wii !! - FOOD!! Ice Cream freezer, cookies, snacks of all sorts, gourmet and normal beverages free for the taking! Breakfast and Lunch are all homemade from Chefs with nothing ever frozen.

Cons

- Entertainment?? Really? ? There isn't any time to take advantage of all the Entertainment mentioned above unless you sacrifice your lunch break or one of the 15 minute morning & afternoon breaks. Sacrifice resting after doing my job??? NO WAY!! See below- - With the amount of sweat and bodily exertion; when lunch comes around, it's all you can do in your 1 hour lunch to eat, drink, and down 2 more Gatorades to keep hydrated! I'm in great shape, but the jobs performed by Operations Associates and Engineers such as myself, require extreme physical exertion in order to keep up. My hands are no longer hands, but machines in need of desperate repair. I have callouses so thick that I cannot feel my fingertips. My hands ache terribly each day and are so mangled it feels like I have an extreme case of rheumatoid arthritis or perhaps I do from all the manual labor! - HOT!! The Data Center is kept at a temperature so hot, about 30 minutes into working, I am wanting to take a break to grab some Vitamin Water or any water for that matter. There are no water fountains and there is only one area which is typically far away in which employees are able to store water that must be in a CamelBack thermos. Every work area is extremely hot unless you're lucky enough to have a desk job. - Employees? It's interesting that the majority of actual work is done by workers who are not true Google employees. Temporary workers outnumber permanent Googlers by far. These individuals are interviewed for an entry level position by Google Management, but are actually employed by a Temp Agency. These poor saps are underpaid, overworked, and all are fighting for a permanent position that most will not obtain. They do the same work as many Operations Associates & Engineers. But receive no promise for their hard work and are unappreciated by management. Management is not allowed to give temporary workers any type of feedback as to their performance and are unable to pull them aside to tell them they are doing a good job, nor room for improvement.

Viewing 217 - 219 of 48,390 Reviews

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